Career Connections
Colleen's Career Corner
I have a feeling that my company will be doing lay-offs after the new year, so I am thinking that this is a good time to look for a new career. What should I be doing now to be ready to start a job search in January? — submitted by Evan ’88
You are smart to start thinking about this now, so you are ready to go in the new year. Take a step back and look at your current position and decide if you really want a career change or just a job change. Do you like your actual job, but not the place that you are currently doing it? Or are you looking to do something completely new?
If you think you want a completely new career, I suggest starting by checking out the career assessment tools that are free to alumni at CareerBeam. Go through the section called “Be Clear” and you will obtain a great career profile and ideas for where you want to go next from a values, personality, temperament, skills and interests perspective. CareerBeam also hosts hands-on demonstrations the first Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. EST and third Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. EST of every month to assist you with this process.
If you are happy with your career, but looking for a new environment, take some time to think about what you want your next company to look like. Do you want to work for a large or small company? How close to home do you want to be? Do you want to be in a more casual or formal work environment? What type of individuals do you want to work with?
In either case, start now by updating your resume. Think about your talents, strengths and skills that will transfer easily to a new employer and highlight these on your resume. Have your resume ready to go in the New Year! If you feel you need some professional assistance, join our upcoming webinar, “Is Your Resume Ready?” on either November 20th or December 8th.